Frankenfeet Editing

In restrospect, paying a visit to
the Toronto
Zoo at the end of Marchwhen my plantar
fasciitis was already a chronic problem and my knees
even unhappier than my feetwasn't the brightest
idea. But fourth month old Humphrey beckoned. How
could I resist?

And here are Humphrey's parents in
the water (family friend hanging out on the rocks
in the background).

If you've ever been to the Toronto
Zoo, you'll know it's huge. 2.87 km² to be
exact. Paddy and I didn't walk all of it that day
at the end of March, but we didn't exactly take
it easy either. Seeing the pandas was another must.
I hadn't laid eyes on pandas in person since the
last time they were at the Toronto Zoo, way back
in 1985.

This time around a wide-eyed little
girl in a stroller was peering at the pandas at
the same time as we were. I'm not sure how old she
was, definitely not more than a year, but her mother
informed us that she had a beloved plush toy panda
at home and now couldn't believe her eyes. Indeed,
awe lit up this little girl's face like a sunny
July. Yes, pandas are REAL. There is true magic
in the world.

Magic and beauty like the stunning
white lions, and all sorts of intriguing creatures
from Australia's Kookaburra to a brand new mountain
gorilla baby.

So I'm not the least bit sorry I went
to the zoo at the end of March, but I couldn't do
it now. For the last six weeks or so twenty minutes
of standing/very ginger walking has been my absolute
maxium, which meant I had to cut the Dublin trip
short. As it was, the majority of my holiday looked
much like this, and I've been spending countless
hours in the night splint sock since returning to
Canada too.

Yep, I'm pretty much housebound. But
I'm very grateful for the time I had visiting with
family and friends while in Ireland, and am already
looking forward to the next trip. In the meantime
I'm continuing to do battle with plantar fasciitis,
tendonitis and patellofemoral syndrome. My latest
weapon is orthotics. Voila the molds of my Frankenfeet

which were used to produce some incredibly
hard custom insoles designed to correct my specific
feet imbalances. Luckily, I can still type
and so none of this will interfere with revisions
on The Sweetest
Thing You Can Sing that I'm expecting later
today.

Me and my Frankenfeet will be back
online once I'm done editing. Meanwhile, If you
happen to visit the Toronto zoo, please give Humphrey my
love!

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likes to write things down and is a firm believer in the John Lennon quote, "If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliché that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal." Her ninth young adult book, JUST LIKE YOU SAID IT WOULD BE, is packed with movie references and giddy love for Dublin, Ireland and her middle grade debut STRICKEN is a sci-fi adventure that happens to be set in Dublin too.

Canadian & Irish novelist of character-driven fiction from horror to sci-fi to slice-of-life. Also writes under the name Cara Martin. Film school grad. Time traveller. Billy Bragg fan. Living with chronic illness. True believer in the John Lennon quote, “If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliché that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal.”